Harrison REVIEW THE
June 30, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 26 | www.harrisonreview.com
Uber, Lyft become legal in Westchester County By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer
SMOOTH SAILING
Barry Feldman, left, stands with son-in-law Drew Lapkin and grandson Eli Lapkin after finishing the Marion-Bermuda Race on June 14. The three generations of local sailors took to the open water earlier this month to participate in the 40-year-old yacht race. For story, see page 15. Contributed photo
Memorial service, eulogy held for ex-mayor’s wife A month after her passing, a memorial service was held last Saturday for the wife of a former mayor of the town/village of Harrison. On June 24, a service was held at St. Anthony’s Church in West Harrison to celebrate the life of Gloria Passidomo, who was married to her predeceased husband of 57 years, John Passidomo, the former mayor of Harrison and New York state commissioner of motor vehicles. In May, Gloria Passidomo passed away at the age of 92 in Naples, Florida.
“She was the most hospitable soul you could have ever met,” said former Mayor Joan Walsh, a close friend of the Passidomos. “It was always warm and welcoming in her house.” Gloria Passidomo worked briefly for the Edward L. Bernays public relations firm in New York City and later managed a dental office in the village of Scarsdale. She was responsible for beginning the Meals-on-Wheels program in Harrison and was also a member of the Ladies Auxiliary at St. Agnes Hospital, which is located in White Plains.
During her time living in Harrison, she helped manage her husband’s campaign headquarters through a number of election cycles. “She was a friend and matriarch of the [Passidomo] family, and also a great first lady,” said Mayor Ron Belmont, who attended the memorial service. “I was proud to attend her eulogy.” Gloria Passidomo met her husband while studying at Fordham University in the Bronx and married him in 1947. John Passidomo was first elected mayor in 1965. Re-elect-
ed eight times, he served in that capacity until 1983 when he resigned to become the commissioner of motor vehicles under then Gov. Mario Cuomo. John Passidomo was responsible for developing the string of corporate office parks along Interstate 287 known as the “Platinum Mile,” and is the reason behind Harrison’s town/village structure. Gloria Passidomo was remarried in 2011 to Dr. George Talis, who also predeceased her. She is survived by five children and 10 grandchildren. -Reporting by Franco Fino
Westchester County won’t be able to regulate ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft beyond the state law, which goes into effect this week. But that won’t stop county lawmakers from trying. The county has decided not to opt-out of the New York state law regulating ride-hailing companies outside of New York City. Although Uber and Lyft drivers have frequently taken fares within Westchester over the last few years, they have done so illegally, as neither state nor county law has permitted it. That is set to change on Thursday, June 29, after press time, when a new state law overseeing ride-hailing becomes official. But some, including County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, have criticized the state law for not having the same safety regulations as are required by the law which has allowed ride-hailing in New York City since 2011. “When the new state regulations came out a few weeks ago under the Department of Motor Vehicles, that failed to give Westchester County residents the same protections as New York City, we had to take action to try to fix this kind of problem,” Astorino said at a press conference with Uber and Lyft representatives on Tuesday. Ride-hailing in New York City is overseen by the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, TLC, which requires all drivers to be fingerprinted. But the law in the rest of New York state puts those regulations in the hands of the state DMV, which will not re-
quire drivers to be fingerprinted. “But in Westchester, because we border New York City… we of course wanted to go a step further and create a system that included fingerprinting for drivers in Westchester County,” Astorino said. With that in mind, county and ride-hailing officials created “Thumbs Up,” a voluntary program in which interested drivers would get fingerprinted by the county and then be added to a pool of approved drivers for ride-hailing, taxi or limousine services. Drivers whose fingerprints are clean would also be awarded a decal from the county, verifying that those drivers have been vetted by Westchester. The process would cost $90 to drivers and, according to the county executive, would be completed in three days or less. Astorino asked the ride-hailing companies to integrate the Thumbs Up program into their apps, allowing users to see beforehand whether their driver has been fingerprinted before ordering the car. Neither company committed to that policy in the short term, adding that the deal was new and they were considering their options. In the meantime, Astorino said, users will have to decide when their car arrives whether they feel safe entering a car based on the presence of a Thumbs Up decal or lack thereof. But those companies will have to address the question of cancellation fees, which are normally charged to users who solicit UBER continued on page 5